Humidifying device and fiber body processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A humidifying device includes a circulation path through which air circulates, an intake section that is provided in the circulation path and takes the air into the circulation path, a blower section that is provided in the circulation path and generates an air flow in the circulation path, a humidifying section that is provided in the circulation path and humidifies the air in the circulation path, and a discharge section that is provided in the circulation path and discharges the humidified air which is humidified by the humidifying section from an inside of the circulation path, and the circulation path has a pipeline for returning the humidified air that has not been discharged from the discharge section upstream of the blower section.

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2021-059705, filed Mar. 31, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a humidifying device and a fiber body processing apparatus.

2. Related Art

For example, as shown in JP-A-7-318117, a humidifier that humidifies an object or an object space is known. The humidifier described in JP-A-7-318117 is a ventilation type humidifier having a water-absorbing humidifying material installed in a flow air passage of an air conditioner or the like and a water supply device for supplying water above the humidifying material.

However, when the air introduced by an introduction portion is excessively dry, there is a concern that the humidification in a humidifying section may be insufficient. In this case, the humidification of the object and the object space becomes insufficient.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure can be realized in the following aspect.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a humidifying device including a circulation path through which air circulates, an intake section that is provided in the circulation path and takes the air into the circulation path, a blower section that is provided in the circulation path and generates an air flow in the circulation path, a humidifying section that is provided in the circulation path and humidifies the air in the circulation path, and a discharge section that is provided in the circulation path and discharges the humidified air which is humidified by the humidifying section from an inside of the circulation path, in which the circulation path has a pipeline for returning the humidified air that has not been discharged from the discharge section upstream of the blower section.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a fiber body processing apparatus including a processing section that processes fibers, and the humidifying device according to the aspect of the present disclosure, which humidifies the processing section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a fiber body processing apparatus including a humidifying device according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the humidifying device and the fiber body processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a separation section shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the separation section shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration view of the humidifying device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a humidifying section shown in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a humidifying device and a fiber body processing apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described in detail based on a preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a fiber body processing apparatus including a humidifying device of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the humidifying device and the fiber body processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a separation section shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the separation section shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration view of the humidifying device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a humidifying section shown in FIG. 5.

In the following, for convenience of description, as shown in FIG. 1, three axes orthogonal to each other are referred to as an x axis, a y axis, and a z axis. Further, an xy plane including the x axis and the y axis is horizontal, and the z axis is vertical. A direction in which an arrow of each axis is directed is referred to as “+”, and an opposite direction thereof is referred to as “−”. In FIGS. 1 and 3, an upper side may be referred to as “up” or “above”, and a lower side may be referred to as “down” or “below”. Further, a direction in which a material is transported is referred to as “downstream”, and an opposite side thereof is referred to as “upstream”.

As shown in FIG. 1, a fiber body processing apparatus 100 includes a raw material supply section 11, a coarse crushing section 12, a defibrating section 13, a separation section 1, a mixing section 17, a loosening section 18, a web forming section 19, a sheet forming section 20, a cutting section 21, a stock section 22, a collection section 27, a humidifying device 10 according to the present disclosure, and a controller 28. Further, each of these sections is electrically coupled to the controller 28, and the operation thereof is controlled by the controller 28. The controller 28 may be regarded as a constituent requirement of the humidifying device 10.

Further, in the fiber body processing apparatus 100, a raw material supply process, a coarse crushing process, a defibration process, a separation process, a mixing process, a loosening process, a web forming process, a sheet forming process, and a cutting process are executed in this order.

Hereinafter, the configuration of each section will be described.

The raw material supply section 11 performs a raw material supply process which supplies a raw material M1 to the coarse crushing section 12. The raw material M1 is a sheet-like material made of a fiber-containing material containing a cellulose fiber. The cellulose fiber is not particularly limited as long as it is mainly composed of cellulose as a compound and has a fibrous shape, and the cellulose fiber may contain hemicellulose and lignin in addition to cellulose. Further, the raw material M1 may be in any form such as woven fabric or non-woven fabric. The raw material M1 may be, for example, recycled paper that is recycled and manufactured by defibrating used paper or YUPO paper (registered trademark) that is synthetic paper, or may not be recycled paper. In the present embodiment, the raw material M1 is used paper that has been used or that is no longer needed.

The coarse crushing section 12 performs a coarse crushing process of coarsely crushing the raw material M1 supplied from the raw material supply section 11 in the atmosphere or the like. The coarse crushing section 12 has a pair of coarse crushing blades 121 and a chute 122.

The pair of coarse crushing blades 121 can rotate in mutually opposite directions to coarsely crush the raw material M1 between the coarse crushing blades, that is, cut the raw material M1 to form a coarsely crushed piece M2. The shape and size of the coarsely crushed piece M2 may be suitable for a defibrating process in the defibrating section 13, may be a small piece having a side length of 100 mm or less, and also may be a small piece having a side length of 10 mm or more and 70 mm or less, for example.

The chute 122 is disposed below the pair of coarse crushing blades 121 and has, for example, a funnel shape. Thereby, the chute 122 can receive the coarsely crushed piece M2 which is coarsely crushed by the coarse crushing blade 121 and fell.

Further, the humidifying section 231 is disposed above the chute 122 so as to be adjacent to the pair of coarse crushing blades 121. The humidifying section 231 humidifies the coarsely crushed piece M2 in the chute 122. The humidifying section 231 has a filter (not shown) containing moisture, and includes a vaporization type or hot air vaporization type humidifier that supplies humidified air with increased humidity to the coarsely crushed piece M2 by passing air through the filter. By supplying the humidified air to the coarsely crushed piece M2, it is possible to prevent the coarsely crushed piece M2 from adhering to the chute 122 and the like due to static electricity.

The chute 122 is coupled to the defibrating section 13 via a pipe 241. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 collected on the chute 122 pass through the pipe 241 and are transported to the defibrating section 13.

The defibrating section 13 performs a defibration process of defibrating the coarsely crushed piece M2 in the air, that is, in a dry manner. By the defibrating process in the defibrating section 13, a defibrated material M3 can be generated from the coarsely crushed piece M2. Here, “defibrating” means unraveling the coarsely crushed piece M2 formed by binding a plurality of fibers into individual fibers. Then, the unraveled material becomes the defibrated material M3. The shape of the defibrated material M3 is a linear or band shape. Further, the defibrated materials M3 may exist in an entangled and lumpy state, that is, in a state of forming a so-called “lump”.

In the present embodiment, for example, the defibrating section 13 includes an impeller mill having a rotor that rotates at a high speed and a liner that is located on the outer periphery of the rotor. The coarsely crushed piece M2 flowing into the defibrating section 13 is defibrated by being pinched between the rotor and the liner.

Further, the defibrating section 13 can generate a flow of air from the coarse crushing section 12 toward the separation section 1, that is, an air flow, by rotation of the rotor. Thereby, it is possible to suck the coarsely crushed piece M2 to the defibrating section 13 from the pipe 241. After the defibrating process, the defibrated material M3 can be sent out to the separation section 1 via a pipe 242.

A blower 261 is installed in the middle of the pipe 242. The blower 261 is an air flow generation device that generates an air flow toward the separation section 1. Thereby, sending out the defibrated material M3 to the separation section 1 is promoted.

The separation section 1 performs a separation process of selecting the defibrated material M3 based on the length of the fiber and removing foreign matter in the defibrated material M3. The configuration of the separation section 1 will be described in detail later. The defibrated material M3 becomes a defibrated material M4 from which foreign matter such as coloring material is removed by passing through the separation section 1, and which includes fibers having a length equal to or longer than a predetermined length, that is, fibers having a length suitable for sheet manufacturing. The defibrated material M4 is sent out to the mixing section 17 on the downstream region.

Further, the humidifying device 10 is installed in the separation section 1. Thereby, the separation process can be performed satisfactorily.

The mixing section 17 is disposed downstream of the separation section 1. The mixing section 17 performs a mixing process which mixes the defibrated material M4 and a binder P1. The mixing section 17 has a binder supply portion 171, a pipe 172, and a blower 173.

The pipe 172 couples a second suction portion 7 of the separation section 1 and a housing portion 182 of the loosening section 18 to each other and is a flow path through which a mixture M7 of the defibrated material M4 and the binder P1 passes.

The binder supply portion 171 is coupled in the middle of the pipe 172. The binder supply portion 171 has a screw feeder 174. When the screw feeder 174 is rotationally driven, the binder P1 can be supplied to the pipe 172 as powder or particles. The binder P1 supplied to the pipe 172 is mixed with the defibrated material M4 to become the mixture M7.

The binder P1 binds fibers to each other in a later process. For example, a thermoplastic resin, a curable resin, starch, dextrin, glycogen, amylose, hyaluronic acid, kudzu, konjac, potato starch, etherified starch, esterified starch, natural gum glue (etherified tamarind gum, etherified locust bean gum, etherified guar gum, acacia arabic gum), fiber-inducing glue (etherified carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose), seaweeds (sodium alginate, agar), animal proteins (collagen, gelatin, hydrolyzed collagen, sericin), and the like can be used, and a thermoplastic resin may be used. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include an AS resin, an ABS resin, polyolefin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), modified polyolefin, an acrylic resin such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyamide (nylon) such as nylon 6, nylon 46, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 612, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6-12, and nylon 6-66, polyphenylene ether, polyacetal, polyether, polyphenylene oxide, polyetheretherketone, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, thermoplastic polyimide, polyetherimide, a liquid crystal polymer such as aromatic polyester, various thermoplastic elastomers such as a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, a polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, a polyvinyl chloride-based thermoplastic elastomer, a polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomer, a polyester-based thermoplastic elastomer, a polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomer, a polybutadiene-based thermoplastic elastomer, a trans polyisoprene-based thermoplastic elastomer, a fluoro rubber-based thermoplastic elastomer, and a chlorinated polyethylene-based thermoplastic elastomer, and the like, and one or more selected from these can be used in combination. As the thermoplastic resin, polyester or a composition containing the polyester may be used.

In addition to the binder P1, a colorant for coloring the fiber, an aggregation inhibitor for inhibiting aggregation of the fiber or aggregation of the binder P1, a flame retardant for making the fiber difficult to burn, a paper strengthening agent for enhancing the paper strength of sheet S, and the like may be supplied from the binder supply portion 171. Alternatively, the above-mentioned colorant, aggregation inhibitor, flame retardant, and paper strengthening agent are contained and compounded in the binder P1 in advance, and then the resultant may be supplied from the binder supply portion 171.

In the middle of the pipe 172, the blower 173 is installed downstream of the binder supply portion 171. The defibrated material M4 and the binder P1 are mixed by the action of a rotating portion such as a blade of the blower 173. Further, the blower 173 can generate an air flow toward the loosening section 18. With the air flow, the defibrated material M4 and the binder P1 can be stirred in the pipe 172. Thereby, the mixture M7 can flow into the loosening section 18 in a state where the defibrated material M4 and the binder P1 are uniformly dispersed. Further, the defibrated material M4 in the mixture M7 is loosened in the process of passing through the pipe 172, and has a finer fibrous shape.

The loosening section 18 performs a loosening process of loosening the mutually entangled fibers in the mixture M7. The loosening section 18 has a drum portion 181 and the housing portion 182 that houses the drum portion 181.

The drum portion 181 is a sieve that is formed of a cylindrical net body and that rotates around its central axis. The mixture M7 flows into the drum portion 181. When the drum portion 181 rotates, fibers or the like smaller than the opening of the net in the mixture M7 can pass through the drum portion 181. At that time, the mixture M7 is loosened.

The housing portion 182 is coupled to a humidifying section 234. The humidifying section 234 includes, for example, a humidifier. Thereby, the humidified air is supplied into the housing portion 182. The inside of the housing portion 182 can be humidified with the humidified air, so that the mixture M7 can be prevented from adhering to the inner wall of the housing portion 182 by electrostatic force.

Further, the mixture M7 loosened in the drum portion 181 falls while being dispersed in the air, and travels to the web forming section 19 located below the drum portion 181. The web forming section 19 performs a web forming process of forming a web M8 from the mixture M7. The web forming section 19 has a mesh belt 191, tension rollers 192, and a suction portion 193.

The mesh belt 191 is an endless belt, and the mixture M7 is accumulated thereon. The mesh belt 191 is wound around four tension rollers 192. When the tension rollers 192 are rotationally driven, the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is transported toward the downstream region.

Further, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 has a size equal to or larger than the opening of the mesh belt 191. Thereby, the mixture M7 is restricted from passing through the mesh belt 191 and can thus be accumulated on the mesh belt 191. Since the mixture M7 is transported toward the downstream region with the mesh belt 191 in a state where the mixture M7 is accumulated on the mesh belt 191, the mixture M7 is formed as the layered web M8.

The suction portion 193 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 191. Thereby, the mixture M7 can be sucked onto the mesh belt 191, and thus the accumulation of the mixture M7 onto the mesh belt 191 is promoted.

A pipe 246 is coupled to the suction portion 193. Further, the blower 264 is installed in the middle of the pipe 246. By the operation of the blower 264, a suction force can be generated at the suction portion 193.

The humidifying section 236 is disposed downstream of the loosening section 18. The humidifying section 236 may include, for example, an ultrasonic humidifier or a vaporizing humidifier. Thereby, moisture can be supplied to the web M8, and thus the amount of moisture of the web M8 is adjusted. By the adjustment, adsorption of the web M8 to the mesh belt 191 due to electrostatic force can be prevented. Thereby, the web M8 is easily peeled from the mesh belt 191 at a position where the mesh belt 191 is folded back by the tension roller 192.

The sheet forming section 20 is disposed downstream of the web forming section 19. The sheet forming section 20 performs a sheet forming process of forming the sheet S from the web M8. The sheet forming section 20 has a pressurizing section 201 and a heating section 202.

The pressurizing section 201 has a pair of calender rollers 203 and can pressurize the web M8 between the calender rollers 203 without heating the web M8. Thereby, the density of the web M8 is increased. As an extent of the heating in this case, for example, the binder P1 may not be melted. The web M8 is transported toward the heating section 202. Note that, one of the pair of calender rollers 203 is a main driving roller which is driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

The heating section 202 has a pair of heating rollers 204 and can pressurize the web M8 between the heating rollers 204 while heating the web M8. By the heat and pressurization, the binder P1 is melted in the web M8, and the fibers are bound to each other via the melted binder P1. Thereby, the sheet S is formed. The sheet S is transported toward the cutting section 21. Note that, one of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a main driving roller which is driven by the operation of the motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

The cutting section 21 is disposed downstream of the sheet forming section 20. The cutting section 21 performs a cutting process of cutting the sheet S. The cutting section 21 has a first cutter 211 and a second cutter 212.

The first cutter 211 cuts the sheet S in a direction that intersects with the transport direction of the sheet S, particularly in a direction orthogonal thereto.

The second cutter 212 cuts the sheet S in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the sheet S on the downstream region of the first cutter 211. The cutting is a process of removing unnecessary portions at both ends of the sheet S, that is, the ends in the +y axis direction and the −y axis direction to adjust the width of the sheet S. In addition, the portion that has been removed by the cutting is referred to as a so-called “edge”.

By cutting the first cutter 211 and the second cutter 212 as described above, the sheet S having a desired shape and size can be obtained. The sheet S is transported further downstream and accumulated in the stock section 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 28 has a central processing unit (CPU) 281 and a storage section 282. For example, the CPU 281 can perform various determinations and various commands.

The storage section 282 stores various programs, such as a program for manufacturing the sheet S.

The controller 28 may be built in the fiber body processing apparatus 100 or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. In some cases, the external device communicates with the fiber body processing apparatus 100 via a cable or the like, or wirelessly communicates therewith. For example, a network such as the Internet may be connected to the external device via the fiber body processing apparatus 100.

Further, for example, the CPU 281 and the storage section 282 may be integrated as a single unit, the CPU 281 may be built in the fiber body processing apparatus 100 and the storage section 282 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer, or the storage section 282 may be built in the fiber body processing apparatus 100 and the CPU 281 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

Next, the separation section 1 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the separation section 1 includes a rotating member 3 having a mesh 31, a first ejection portion 4 that is a supply portion that ejects and supplies the defibrated material M3 with air onto the mesh 31, a first suction portion 5 that sucks a part of the defibrated material M3 on the mesh 31, a second ejection portion 6 that ejects air to the defibrated material M4 generated by suction, and a second suction portion 7 that sucks and collects the defibrated material M4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating member 3 includes the mesh 31 that has a circular shape in plan view, and a support member 32 that supports the mesh 31.

The mesh 31 has the first surface 311 and a second surface 312 in a front and back relationship. In the present embodiment, the first surface 311 is an upper surface facing vertically upward, and the second surface 312 is a lower surface facing vertically downward.

The mesh 31 can be, for example, a linear body knitted in a net shape, or a disc-shaped member provided with a plurality of through-holes. Among the fibers of the defibrated material M3 supplied onto the first surface 311 of the mesh 31, the fibers longer than the size of the opening of the mesh 31 remain on the mesh 31, that is, are accumulated on the mesh, and the fibers shorter than the size of the opening of the mesh 31 or foreign matter such as coloring materials pass through the mesh 31. Then, by setting the opening of the mesh 31 to a desired size, for example, fibers having a length suitable for sheet manufacturing can be selectively left.

The support member 32 has a function of supporting the mesh 31 to maintain the flat shape of the mesh 31. In the present embodiment, the support member 32 supports the mesh 31 from the first surface 311 side of the mesh 31. At least parts of the mesh 31 and the support member 32 are fixed, and when the support member 32 is rotated by the operation of the motor 33, the mesh 31 is rotated together with the support member 32.

The support member 32 includes a ring-shaped frame body 321 that supports the edge of the mesh 31, a central support portion 322 that supports the center portion of the mesh 31, and a plurality of bar-shaped coupling portions 323 that couple the frame body 321 and the central support portion 322 to each other.

In the present embodiment, the coupling portion 323 has a straight bar shape in which the cross-sectional shape is a quadrangular prism shape. In other words, the coupling portion 323 is a long member extending across the mesh 31 from the center portion to the outer peripheral portion. Further, in the present embodiment, four coupling portions 323 are provided radially, that is, at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. The shape of the coupling portion 323 is not limited to the above-described configuration, for example, any shape such as a round bar shape may be used.

Such a rotating member 3 is coupled to the motor 33 that is a rotational drive source, and can rotate around a central axis O by the operation of the motor 33. The motor 33 is configured so that the rotation speed is variable, and the operation of the motor 33 is controlled by the controller 28. In the present embodiment, the rotating member 3 rotates in the arrow direction in FIGS. 3 and 4, that is, in the clockwise direction when viewed from the first surface 311 side.

As described above, the mesh 31 has a circular shape in plan view and rotates around the central axis O of the circular shape. Thereby, the movement path of the defibrated material M4 can be made only on the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. Accordingly, it contributes to the downsizing of the rotating member 3 and consequently the downsizing of the separation section 1.

The first ejection portion 4 is installed on the first surface 311 side of the mesh 31. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first ejection portion 4 is installed on the right side of the central axis O of the mesh 31 when viewed from the −y axis side toward the +y axis side. The first ejection portion 4 is coupled to the downstream end of the pipe 242 and has a first ejection port 41 at a position facing the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. With the air flow generated by the blower 261, the first ejection portion 4 ejects the defibrated material M3 together with the air flowed through the first ejection port 41 toward the mesh 31 from above, that is, toward the first surface 311 from the first surface 311 side. Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the defibrated material M3 can be supplied and accumulated on the first surface 311 of the mesh 31.

The first ejection port 41 is installed away from the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. Thereby, the defibrated material M4 accumulated on the first surface 311 of the mesh 31 can move with the rotation of the mesh 31.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first ejection port 41 has a shape in which an opening surface thereof extends along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. That is, the first ejection port 41 has a shape having a circular arc 411 located on the center side of the mesh 31, a circular arc 412 closer to the outer peripheral side of the circular arc 411, and a line segment 413 and a line segment 414 which couple the ends of the circular arcs to each other, in plan view of the opening surface of the first ejection port 41. The circular arc 411 and the circular arc 412 are provided along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31, and the circular arc 412 is longer than the circular arc 411. Further, the line segment 413 and the line segment 414 are arranged in this order from the front in the rotation direction of the mesh 31, and are provided along the radial direction of the mesh 31.

By supplying the defibrated material M3 from the first ejection port 41 having such a shape onto the first surface 311 of the mesh 31, the defibrated material M3 can be supplied and accumulated along the rotation direction of the mesh 31.

The first suction portion 5 is provided on the second surface 312 side of the mesh 31 and on the opposite side of the first ejection portion 4 via the mesh 31. The first suction portion 5 has a first suction port 51, and is installed at a position where the first suction port 51 overlaps the first ejection port 41 when viewed from the direction of the central axis O of the mesh 31. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the first suction portion 5 is coupled to the blower 262 via a pipe 245, and air can be sucked from the first suction port 51 by the operation of the blower 262. Further, the collection section 27 formed of, for example, a filter is provided upstream of the pipe 245 from the blower 262. Thereby, the fiber or the foreign matter sucked by the first suction portion 5 can be captured and collected.

The first suction port 51 is installed away from the second surface 312 of the mesh 31. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the suction force of the first suction portion 5 from inhibiting the rotation of the mesh 31, which contributes to the smooth rotation of the mesh 31.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the first suction port 51 has a shape in which an opening surface thereof extends along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. That is, the first suction port 51 has a shape having a circular arc 511 located on the center side of the mesh 31, a circular arc 512 closer to the outer peripheral side than the circular arc 511, and a line segment 513 and a line segment 514 which couple the ends of the circular arcs to each other, in plan view of the opening surface of the first suction port 51. The circular arc 511 and the circular arc 512 are provided along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31, and the circular arc 512 is longer than the circular arc 511. Further, the line segment 513 and the line segment 514 are arranged in this order from the front in the rotation direction of the mesh 31, and are provided along the radial direction of the mesh 31.

By supplying the defibrated material M3 from the first suction port 51 having such a shape onto the first surface 311 of the mesh 31, the defibrated material M3 accumulated along the rotation direction of the mesh 31 can be sucked via the mesh 31. Therefore, suction can be performed according to the shape of the accumulation of the defibrated material M3 accumulated on the mesh 31, and the removal of foreign matter and the removal of short fibers in the defibrated material M3 can be performed uniformly.

The second ejection portion 6 is installed on the second surface 312 side of the mesh 31 and at a position different from the first suction portion 5, that is, downstream in the rotation direction of the mesh 31 with respect to the first suction portion 5. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the second ejection portion 6 is installed on the left side of the central axis O of the mesh 31 when viewed from the −y axis side toward the +y axis side. The second ejection portion 6 has a second ejection port 61 at a position facing the second surface 312 of the mesh 31. The second ejection portion 6 is coupled to the blower 263 via a pipe 243, and an air flow can be generated by the operation of the blower 263 and the air can be ejected from the second ejection port 61. Further, the second ejection port 61 ejects the air from the second surface 312 side of the mesh 31 toward the defibrated material M4 on the first surface 311 via the mesh 31. Thereby, the defibrated material M4 on the mesh 31 can be peeled from the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. Accordingly, the defibrated material M4 can be effectively collected by suction by the second suction portion 7 which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, the second ejection port 61 has a shape in which an opening surface thereof curves along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. That is, the second ejection port 61 has a shape having a circular arc 611 located on the center side of the mesh 31, a circular arc 612 closer to the outer peripheral side than the circular arc 611, and a line segment 613 and a line segment 614 which couple the ends of the circular arcs to each other, in plan view of the opening surface of the second ejection port 61. The circular arc 611 and the circular arc 612 are provided along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31, and the circular arc 612 is longer than the circular arc 611. Further, the line segment 613 and the line segment 614 are arranged in this order from the front in the rotation direction of the mesh 31, and are provided along the radial direction of the mesh 31.

By ejecting the air from the second ejection port 61 having such a shape toward the defibrated material M4 on the mesh 31, the defibrated material M4 can be peeled and separated from the mesh 31 along the rotation direction of the mesh 31.

The second suction portion 7 is installed on the first surface 311 side of the mesh 31 and at a position different from the first ejection portion 4, that is, downstream in the rotation direction of the mesh 31 with respect to the first ejection portion 4. The second suction portion 7 has a second suction port 71 at a position facing the first surface 311 of the mesh 31, and is installed at a position where the second suction port 71 overlaps the second ejection port 61 when viewed from the direction of the central axis O of the mesh 31. The second suction portion 7 is coupled to the upstream end of the pipe 172 of the mixing section 17. Further, the air flow is generated by the operation of the blower 173 provided in the middle of the pipe 172, and suction can be performed from the second suction port 71. Thereby, the defibrated material M4 peeled off from the mesh 31 by the second ejection portion 6 can be sucked and collected, and the defibrated material M4 can be sent out to the downstream region, that is, the mixing section 17.

The second suction port 71 is installed away from the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the suction force of the second suction portion 7 from inhibiting the rotation of the mesh 31, which contributes to the smooth rotation of the mesh 31.

The second suction port 71 has a shape in which an opening surface thereof curves along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. That is, the second suction port 71 has a shape having a circular arc 711 located on the center side of the mesh 31, a circular arc 712 closer to the outer peripheral side than the circular arc 711, and a line segment 713 and a line segment 714 which couple the ends of the circular arcs to each other, in plan view of the opening surface of the second suction port 71. The circular arc 711 and the circular arc 712 are provided along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31, and the circular arc 712 is longer than the circular arc 711. Further, the line segment 713 and the line segment 714 are arranged in this order from the front in the rotation direction of the mesh 31, and are provided along the radial direction of the mesh 31.

By sucking the defibrated material M4 on the mesh 31 from the second suction port 71 having such a shape, the defibrated material M4 can be collected along the rotation direction of the mesh 31.

In this way, the second suction portion 7 functions as a collection suction portion that sucks and collects the defibrated material M4 that is a material accumulated on the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. The collection by suction is performed, so that the defibrated material M4 can be collected without contact, and damage to the defibrated material M4 can be reduced.

By such a separation section 1, the defibrated material M3 becomes the defibrated material M4 which contains a fiber equal to or longer than a desired length and from which foreign matter is removed, and can be transported downstream to manufacture the sheet S with high quality.

Next, the humidifying device 10 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the humidifying device 10 includes a circulation path 80 through which air circulates, an intake section 81, a blower section 82, a humidifying section 83, a discharge section 84, a humidity detection section 85, a heating section 86, and a communication port 87. The humidifying device 10 takes in outside air and generates and releases humidified air to humidify an object to be humidified, in the present embodiment, the separation section 1.

The circulation path 80 is formed of at least one pipe and has a ring shape in which air circulates. In the middle of the circulation path 80, the intake section 81, the blower section 82, the humidifying section 83, and the discharge section 84 are installed in order.

Further, the circulation path 80 can be divided into a pipeline 80A and a pipeline 80B. The pipeline 80A is a pipeline connecting an air outlet 821 of the blower section 82 and an intake port 831 of the humidifying section 83. The pipeline 80B is a pipeline connecting an intake port 822 of the blower section 82 and a discharge port 832 of the humidifying section 83. Further, the discharge section 84, the heating section 86, and the intake section 81 are provided in the middle of the pipeline 80B.

The pipelines 80A and 80B may have pipe diameters constant along their longitudinal directions or may have different portions. Further, when the pipe diameters of the pipelines 80A and 80B are constant along their longitudinal directions, the inner diameters of the pipelines 80A and 80B may be the same or different.

The intake section 81 is a port for taking air into the circulation path 80. The intake section 81 may or may not be provided with a fan. When the intake section 81 is not provided with a fan, the outside air is taken in by the suction force generated by the air outlet 821.

Although not shown, the blower section 82 has a rotating blade, a housing for accommodating the blade, and a motor for rotationally driving the blade, and the blade rotates to generate an air flow. Further, the air outlet 821 and the intake port 822 are provided in the housing. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, such a blower section 82 generates an air flow that circulates air in the circulation path 80.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the illustrated configuration, the humidifying section 83 humidifies by vaporization, and has a container 830 for accommodating water, a disc 833 provided in the container 830, and a motor 834 for rotationally driving the disc 833. The blower section 82 is electrically coupled to the controller 28, and its operation is controlled by the controller 28.

The container 830 is provided with the aforementioned intake port 831 and discharge port 832. The container 830 is filled with water. The water surface is located vertically below the intake port 831 and the discharge port 832.

The disc 833 is formed of a water-containing body such as a porous body, for example. The disc 833 rotates around the central axis O. Further, a part of the disc 833 is immersed in water, and the rest is exposed from the water. As the disc 833 rotates, the exposed portion of the disc 833 is in a state of containing water. The air flowing in from the intake port 831 passes between the portion of the disc 833 exposed from the water and the inner wall of the container 830, and is discharged from the discharge port 832. In this case, the air passing through the inside of the container 830 becomes humidified air moistened by the moisture vaporized from the portion exposed from the water of the disc 833. In this way, the humidified air generated by the humidifying section 83 is discharged from the discharge port 832 and flows down in the pipeline 80B.

As described above, the humidifying section 83 has a container 830 filled with water, and the disc 833 which is rotatably provided in the container 830 and is a water-containing body partially immersed in water. Thereby, humidified air can be effectively generated.

In the present embodiment, the rotating disc 833 has been described as an example of the water-containing body, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a configuration that does not rotate may be used. In this case, the shape of the water-containing body may be any shape such as a block shape. Further, the humidifying section 83 may be an ultrasonic humidifier that mists water by using ultrasonic vibration or the like to generate humidified air.

The discharge section 84 is a port that discharges a part of the humidified air flowing down in the pipeline 80B to the outside. The discharge section 84 may or may not be provided with a fan.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to humidify the defibrated material M3 which is discharged toward the separation section 1 and is processed by the separation section 1. Accordingly, the separation process performed by the separation section 1 can be performed satisfactorily.

The discharge section 84 may be configured to discharge the humidified air toward the rotating member 3, to discharge the humidified air toward the first ejection port 41 of the first ejection portion 4, to discharge the humidified air toward the first suction port 51 of the first suction portion 5, to discharge the humidified air toward the second ejection port 61 of the second ejection portion 6, or to discharge the humidified air toward the second suction port 71 of the second suction portion 7.

Further, the discharge section 84 may be provided with a cooler that cools the humidified air to be discharged. Thereby, the relative humidity of the humidified air discharged from the discharge section 84 can be increased. As the cooler, a configuration in which a heat exchanger is provided and air is blown to the heat exchanger by a fan, a configuration in which a cooling element such as a Perche element is installed, and the like are exemplified.

Here, in the humidifying device 10, a part of the humidified air flowing down in the pipeline 80B is discharged from the discharge section 84, and the rest flows down in the pipeline 80B and returns to the intake port 822 of the blower section 82. Then, the humidified air passes through the inside of the blower section 82 and flows down in the pipeline 80A again to flow into the humidifying section 83. Thereby, in the humidifying device 10, the humidified air flows into the humidifying section 83. Accordingly, even when the air taken in by the intake section 81 is dry, it is possible to generate humidified air having sufficiently high humidity. As a result, the separation section 1 can be sufficiently humidified regardless of the humidity of the outside air.

As described above, the humidifying device 10 includes the circulation path 80 through which air circulates, the intake section 81 that is provided in the circulation path 80 and takes air into the circulation path 80, the blower section 82 that is provided in the circulation path 80 and generates an air flow in the circulation path, the humidifying section 83 that is provided in the circulation path 80 and humidifies the air in the circulation path 80, and the discharge section 84 that is provided in the circulation path 80 and discharges the humidified air which is humidified by the humidifying section 83 from the inside of the circulation path 80. The circulation path 80 has the pipeline 80B for returning the humidified air that has not been discharged from the discharge section 84 upstream of the blower section 82. Thereby, even when the humidity of the air taken from the intake section 81 is relatively low, the sufficiently humidified air can be discharged from the discharge section 84, and the object can be sufficiently humidified.

The humidifying device 10 further includes the humidity detection section 85 that detects a humidity of the humidified air passing through the humidifying section 83. In the illustrated configuration, the humidity detection section 85 is provided outside the discharge section 84, and detects the humidity outside the discharge section 84. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the humidity detection section 85 is electrically coupled to the controller 28, and the detection result acquired by the humidity detection section 85 is transmitted to the controller 28.

The controller 28 controls the operation of the blower section 82 based on a detection result of the humidity detection section 85. Specifically, when the humidity detected by the humidity detection section 85 is out of a predetermined range, the controller 28 controls the operation of the blower section 82 to adjust the staying time of the humidified air in the circulation path 80. The predetermined range is a numerical range of humidity that can be satisfactorily processed in an object to be humidified, and an upper limit value and a lower limit value are stored in the storage section 282 in advance. By making such an adjustment, the object to be humidified can be more reliably and satisfactorily humidified.

As described above, the humidifying device 10 includes the humidity detection section 85 that detects a humidity of the humidified air passing through the humidifying section 83, and the controller 28 that controls the operation of the blower section 82 based on the detection result of the humidity detection section 85. Thereby, the object to be humidified can be more reliably and satisfactorily humidified.

Further, the heating section 86 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the pipeline 80B. The heating section 86 heats the pipeline 80B to warm the humidified air inside. Thereby, warm humidified air can be blown to the humidifying section 83, and humidified air can be generated more effectively.

In the present embodiment, the heating section 86 is formed of fins that absorb heat through the passage of warm air. As the warm air, for example, the air may be warmed by the heat generated in the defibrating section 13. Thereby, the heat can be reused, and it is possible to omit the provision of a separate heater or the like.

The heating section 86 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be formed of a heating element such as a heater that generates heat when energized.

As described above, the humidifying device 10 includes the heating section 86 that heats the pipeline 80B. Thereby, warm humidified air can be blown to the humidifying section 83, and humidified air can be generated more effectively.

Further, the pipeline 80B has the communication port 87 that communicates with the outside. The communication port 87 is provided with the valve 871 whose opening degree can be adjusted. In the present embodiment, the communication port 87 is located between the heating section 86 and the intake section 81. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration, and the pipeline 80B may be provided at any position.

The communication port 87 discharges a part of the humidified air flowing down in the pipeline 80B to the outside. The amount of humidified air discharged from the discharge section 84 can be reduced by the amount discharged from the communication port 87. Further, by adjusting the opening degree of the valve 871, the amount of humidified air discharged from the discharge section 84 can be adjusted. Further, by adjusting the amount of the humidified air discharged from the discharge section 84, the flow velocity of the humidified air circulating via the pipeline 80B can be adjusted. Accordingly, by slowing down the flow velocity, the staying time of the humidified air in the circulation path 80 can be adjusted. As a result, the humidity of the humidified air can also be adjusted.

The valve 871 is formed of, for example, an electromagnetic valve, and is electrically coupled to the controller 28 as shown in FIG. 2. The opening degree of the valve 871 can be adjusted by the controller 28 adjusting the energization condition of the valve 871.

As described above, the pipeline 80B has the communication port 87 that communicates with the outside air. Thereby, the amount of humidified air discharged from the discharge section 84 can be adjusted.

The humidifying device 10 further includes the valve 871 provided at the communication port 87 and configured to adjust an opening degree. Thereby, the amount of humidified air discharged from the discharge section 84 and the humidity of the humidified air can be adjusted in various ways.

As described above, the fiber body processing apparatus 100 includes the separation section 1, which is an example of a processing section that processes a fiber, and the humidifying device 10 that humidifies the separation section 1. Thereby, even when the humidity of the outside air taken in by the humidifying device 10 is relatively low, the sufficiently humidified air can be discharged from the discharge section 84, and the object can be sufficiently humidified.

Further, the processing section is the separation section 1 that separates foreign matter from the defibrated material M3 obtained by defibrating a material containing fibers, and the humidifying device 10 humidifies the separation section 1. Thereby, the process of separating the foreign matter from the defibrated material M3 can be satisfactorily performed. In particular, the process of separating the foreign matter from the defibrated material M3 directly affects the quality of the sheet S to be manufactured, so that the above configuration is effective.

In the present embodiment, the separation section 1 has been described as an example of the processing section, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, the coarse crushing section 12, the loosening section 18, and the web forming section 19 can be applied as the processing section. That is, the humidifying device 10 may be installed in place of the humidifying section 231, the humidifying section 234, and the humidifying section 236. Further, the humidifying device 10 may be installed in other parts.

Hereinbefore, the humidifying device and the fiber body processing apparatus according to the present disclosure have been described with reference to the illustrated embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and each section constituting the humidifying device and the fiber body processing apparatus can be replaced with any section that can implement the same function. Further, any components may be added. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A humidifying device comprising: a circulation path through which air circulates; an intake section that is provided in the circulation path and takes the air into the circulation path; a blower section that is provided in the circulation path and generates an air flow in the circulation path; a humidifying section that is provided in the circulation path and humidifies the air in the circulation path; and a discharge section that is provided in the circulation path and discharges the humidified air which is humidified by the humidifying section from an inside of the circulation path, wherein the circulation path has a pipeline for returning the humidified air that was not discharged from the discharge section upstream of the blower section.
 2. The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the pipeline has a communication port that communicates with outside air.
 3. The humidifying device according to claim 2, further comprising: a valve provided at the communication port and configured to adjust an opening degree.
 4. The humidifying device according to claim 1, further comprising: a humidity detection section that detects a humidity of the humidified air passing through the humidifying section; and a controller that controls an operation of the blower section based on a detection result of the humidity detection section.
 5. The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying section has a container filled with water and a water-containing body which is rotatably provided in the container and is partially immersed in the water.
 6. The humidifying device according to claim 1, further comprising: a heating section that heats the pipeline.
 7. A fiber body processing apparatus comprising: a processing section that processes fibers; and the humidifying device according to claim 1, which humidifies the processing section.
 8. The fiber body processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the processing section is a separation section that separates foreign matter from a defibrated material obtained by defibrating a material containing fibers, and the humidifying device humidifies the separation section. 